Culture Shock

Culture shock is very real and will affect different people in different ways and to different degrees. In terms of dealing with some of the difficulties that present themselves when one is suffering from culture shock – there are acouple of strategies that are effective:

• Simply recognizing what is going on can help
• If you think your feelings are a result of culture shock – talk to someone – Socius has mentors that can listen and help.
  The Seven Stages of Culture Shock:
  

1. Feelings of excitement and enthusiasm of being in a new place take up most of your thoughts and time. The activity of settling in also takes a significant amount of time and energy.
2. The second stage can be a bit of a low period during which the differences between your home and Korea become clear. You might also find yourself missing family, friends, and some of your favorite foods. If Korean or English is not your first language, the effort of speaking and listening to those languages all day can be exhausting.
3. The third stage can be a frustrating or a restless period. At this point you may feel angry at your new life, students, co-workers and employers. This frustration is normal.
4. The fourth stage is positive, during which you gain an appreciation of the differences between your home and your new environment. This stage usually involves finding your sense of humor again.
5. The fifth stage is one in which you begin to feel at home. You can deal with day to day problems that come along or you know how to find help with them.
6. The sixth stage is called Reverse Culture Shock, and occurs when you return home. You may find that your family and friends have a difficult time understanding your experiences in Korea and that settling in is not as easy as you thought.
7. The last stage is one of readjustment to being home. This happens when you have integrated yourself back into your own culture with the knowledge and experiences that living away from home has taught you.